Celebrating Pregnancy and a New Life to Come

Giving birth and being born brings us into the essence of creation, where the human spirit is courageous and bold and the body, a miracle of wisdom.

— Harriette Hartigan

At the time of writing this, I am 39 and a half weeks pregnant with our fifth baby. The hospital bag is packed and sitting in the corner by the front door, waiting for my body to give me the cue that it is time to go. Even after going through this four times before, each experience has unfolded so differently, leaving me wondering how this baby will make its entrance into the world.

The time and space between nearing the end of pregnancy, transitioning into labor and birthing a baby always feels otherworldly; like time has come to a standstill in this moment in history while we wait for this new life to come. It’s dwelling between the earthly and ethereal while carrying the future inside.

All the while, I am preparing myself to let go of a season of life that has been transformative in so many ways. Pregnancy has brought a depth of healing to my own body as I learned to make peace with and nurture the home that grew my babies.

Even with all the aches, pains, discomforts, uncertainties and challenges that pregnancy has brought, I couldn’t be more grateful for the journey and all I have learned and experienced along the way.

In pregnancy, we plan for the outcome - having a baby is the tangible result of a nine month (more or less) process. Though sometimes, in keeping our eyes on the aftermath of pregnancy, it is easy to lose sight of who we have become along the way - the making of a mother that starts the moment we hear that first tiny heartbeat living within us.

So I wait to meet our baby while reflecting on the journey that brought me to this point. The process of pregnancy has stretched both my body and heart to make room for this new life to come.

If you have been following along our journey, thank you for being part of this community. I am grateful for the outpouring of support that our family has received along the way. Raising a family truly does take a village, and I thankful for the people who have come alongside us in this journey of having and raising children.

I look forward to sharing updates once our little one comes earthside, including our birth story. Come follow me on Instagram (@crystalkarges) if you’re interested in following along our journey. While I will be giving myself the space and time I need to bond with our new baby and heal in postpartum, we will continue posting updates on the blog as we can, bringing your articles that are hopefully both inspiring and encouraging to you.

Until then, thank you for all the love and support as we prepare to welcome our sweet baby number five!